The police interrogated Ministry of Religious Services Director-General Yehuda Avidan on Sunday for his alleged involvement in crimes of fraud and breach of trust, threats, and abuse of office
Earlier in the day, the police announced that a director-general of a government ministry and two other senior officials were summoned to the National Unit for Fraud Investigations at Lahav 433 for interrogation.
The police statement indicates that the charges against the three interrogatees include fraud and breach of trust, threats, and abuse of office.
The investigation concerns, among other things, the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of a kashrut supervisor employed in a city in southern Israel.
The incident began when the chairman of the religious council in that southern city sought to fire the kashrut supervisor. The chairman raised various allegations against the kashrut supervisor, according to which the employee was responsible for acts defined as unethical.
On the other hand, at the time, ministry officials objected to the dismissal. Police investigators are currently investigating the involvement of Avidan and other officials in pressuring the religious council, as well as the legality of their actions.